Cell Phones for Seniors - A Home Care Ally

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posted by Ryan Whittington on September 27, 2011

As a leading St. Louis home care company, we are always looking for ways to help our clients and their families.  A cell phone can be a helpful tool to both caregivers and clients.  Text and video messaging can allow a caregiver to talk with a senior on a very personal and confidential level.

Features on cell phones, such as voice command, make it easier for seniors and those with disabilities to continue to communicate with their family.

For additional information on Technology for the Elderly, see our past blog articles.

With cell phones being the most common way we stay in touch with our loved ones, families may be considering purchasing a new cell phone for their parent or grandparent to help them stay connected. More and more older Americans are using cell phones to enhance their lives, so when it comes time to decide on a new phone for a parent or grandparent, it’s important to make sure the phone fits their needs, interests and lifestyle.

There are several things to consider when buying a cell phone. Here are a few topics to discuss before making the purchase.

  • Find the value –Adding a parent or grandparent to a family plan is an easy and affordable way to give the gift of wireless. Prepaid options are also appealing for those on a budget. To pick the right plan, U.S. Cellular associates provide a needs assessment for each customer to determine how they will use their phone and help them select a device and plan that fits those needs.
  • Messaging made easy – Older Americans are increasingly adopting text messaging as another way to communicate with family members, especially grandchildren. If your parent or grandparent likes to text, or is open to trying it, consider purchasing a device with a QWERTY keyboard that makes texting easier. The LG Attune has a full QWERTY keyboard, as does the Samsung Character. Be sure to have your parent or grandparent test out the keyboard before making the purchase. 

  • Is it time for a smartphone? – More than four million older Americans are currently staying connected using smartphones. The technology is appealing because it provides a way to simplify and organize your life. With a smartphone, you can access email, social media, send text messages and make phone calls.
  • Reliable Network – Having a high-quality cellular network is essential to make communicating with your loved ones easy. U.S. Cellular has the highest call quality and network satisfaction of any national carrier, and all devices are backed by the carrier’s high-speed nationwide network.

    Many carriers, like U.S. Cellular, offer a trial period, so you can ensure the phone you chose best meets your needs. You can also use this time to make sure that the wireless carrier has excellent network coverage where the phone is used most often.

    If you have any questions throughout your cell phone buying experience, we encourage you to stop by any of our stores in the St. Louis area, and one of our associates would be more than happy to help. For more information, please visit www.uscellular.com.

    Michelle Groves is U.S. Cellular’s director of sales in the St. Louis area. U.S. Cellular is a national wireless carrier with 34 retail locations in the St. Louis Region. U.S. Cellular was recently named a J.D. Power Associates 2011 Customer Service Champion and was also recognized as one of Forbes Magazine’s 2010 “Most Trustworthy Companies.” To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. You can also check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp

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Advocacy and Education and Lifestyle and Leisure
  1. bring your phone

    bring your phone

    March 23, 2015

    Good replies inn return of this query with solid arguments and explaining thhe whole thing concerning that.

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